The steering has taken a "vow of silence".........classic!

Anyone else much prefer the slightly smaller wheels on this with fatter tyres? Looks better in my opinion and obviously rides and drives better too

Whilst all these £60K to £80K cars are pretty wonderful, they don’t offer that much more than some £35K to £45K cars.... even from the same manufacturers.

“RS” really doesn’t hold the same weight as it once did. They should be one of the most driver oriented cars, yet they are becoming more and more dislocated grocery grabbers. Great review!

The absence of the old V8 is telling. The old S and RS models with the 4.2 were far from perfect, but the ability of the engines to spin round to 7-8,000 rpm made wringing out that engine a joy and the engine itself was a willing accomplice, too. I have a first gen S5 V8 and, while I acknowledge the following iterations were superior, I feel no temptation to own them as I know it is my car's engine I value beyond its dynamic ability or interior ergonomics.

I'm not sure the 2017 RS5 and the M4 are direct competitors. The main sort of customer who buys the Audi, want something which will be good quality, and will be amazing at traffic light grand prix, and the outside lane of the local bypass on the way home from work. The majority of BMW M4 customers, deliberately want a lighter, rear wheel drive, balanced handling, but oversteering-on-the-limit, machine. Audi would not attract the Typical M4 customer, because those types want more steering feel, and don't want the understeer. The Audi is a great car. But it doesn't appeal to most BMW owners, because it's not a direct rival. The Alfa is.

Spec'd one of these up when I was looking to change my F80 M3. The amount of options I had to add to get it to a similar spec meant it came out a just over £90k ! That's just mental. Never even bothered to go test drive one because of that as even with a decent discount it would still be £10-£20k over a decent spec discounted M3\4.

Green is such an underrated colour on cars

My daughter loves that bridge. Known as the “bridge that makes my tummy go funny”

I had a B7 RS4. When it came for replacement time I went with an S5 sportback over the RS4/5 variants. It can be tuned to exactly the same power, is not as harshly sprung and much cheaper. No point in a V6 RS when you can get a V6 S and get an APR tune and a few upgrades for £1000 to match the performance of an RS car but in a true 'sleeper' package. It is a very practical, comfy and very handsome car but a sports car it is not and will never be as its far too heavy and the steering is woeful as you rightly point out.

Have you driven the standard A5? It's a very impressive car. Had a 40 TFSI S Tronic as a courtesy car a while back and it was very nice to drive. The new S Line facelift looks terrific too...probably the pick of the range IMO

Having driven many of Audis fast cars, it dawned on me the last time I drove a new RS5 what it reminded me of, a slightly faster Golf R, in every aspect, sound, handling, the general feel of the thing. This highlights for me 2 things, just how capable a car the Golf R is and just how derivative the VW/ Audi range is of it's own products.

Great video. As a 19 year old I was deciding between an E36 or the original Audi S3. Decided to steer away from the S3 as the owners club themsleves admit the steering is numb and lifeless. E36 may not be as fast but it more than makes up for it in pure steering feel and texture.

95,000 subscribers!! Congratulations, you deserve the growth, not long to 100,000!!

Thanks for making me feel good about choosing the V8 RS5. Helpful review. Thanks

I feel the V6 is better than the previous gen, by miles. The power delivery is so much better imo, the interior is so much better as well. It feels much more fun than the somewhat lethargic V8s. Yeah might sound better, but I prefer brutal accelerations over "good" sounds.

At the time I got my RS3 Saloon, I also looked at an RS5 Coupe because funnily enough, they were similar prices, but I still chose the RS3 Saloon. Its only very slightly slower but better steering and way more characterful engine. I prefer the smaller size and 4 doors too. This was before the RS5 Sportback came out but I do prefer how the RS5 looked over the RS3 and it did have a better interior/more tech. At new prices, I can't see why you'd get one though unless you really want 4WD because none of the competition have it. C63 has the great V8 engine sound, M4 if you like to drift or modify. Not sure if you can include the Giulia Quad but thats got way better steering feel.

How do you feel this compares to the mk3 TTRS? Handling? straight line performance? How it handles a good B road?

M cars are pure drivers cars, RS are for people who like flash but don’t want the fuss of having to put any effort or thought into driving, usually straight line warriors, AMG’s are brutes !

I found it really hard to get excited about these cars... But also, can't get excited about the 4 series either. One thing I think Audi always does better on is interior design. Just feels classier. But yeah, steering feel is something they lack big time.

Fair and honest reviews. The Achilles heel or Audi RS products continues it seems

The RS5 is exactly where it needs to be. An ultimate road car, that can also be fun on a back road. The M cars they're always compared to are great (not ultimate) track cars, that can also be competent on the road.

I took one of these for a test drive and I liked it. I did however end up buying a C7 RS7 because of the driveability from that great 8 speed auto. With both though, and shame on Audi, I have to agree with you on the steering feel.

For some reason, the first time I watched this it never appeared in my watch history, so I've watched it again in case it impacts your revenue.

Another great video my friend. I love Audi's and owned one for a while, but I have now got past the name snobbery that goes with the German Marquees and goes for value for money automobiles. Audi's were a real leader in looks and comfort but now the price tag that goes for that luxury has just put it out of the range of the normal working person. Also, the depreciation is so great that you just need to wait a few years from the release of your fav model to be able to afford it at half the price.

I just can't get into S/RS cars; a base A5 2.0T is fast enough and probably has 95% of this thing's charm and excitement. The last great RS car IMO was that V8 RS4

I very nearly purchased one of these back in January, as a replacement to my RS3 but I couldn't just justify the move for arguably no noticeable power gain and a car that doesn't feel as tight in the corners. It's also not a very engaging car to drive and feels restricted.

As expected..Another fast appliance from the RS group. I do love how it looks and the interior however.

I was hoping the RS4 would be a smaller RS6, but it was far from it. The suspension was terrible and I just didn't enjoy driving it. Silly things like increasing the idle when in sports mode made things even worse. Audi is not good when it comes to automatic software. They need to rewrite it from scratch. In the RS6 they tried to make it like a dual clutch by keeping then torque converter locked up as much as possible, but lost valuable torque by doing so. I remember a Mitsubishi VR4 I had years ago that had the most amazing automatic transmission using fuzzy logic. It used the lockup torque covered to give you 10 gears when there was only 5 and would downshift going down hills. It was amazing.

7:25 S2000 alert! When will you provide an update on the mods? :D

I'm picking up an 18 month old sport edition in Daytona grey next week. I think it's such a beautiful shape and is so capable in real world conditions. I traded a Giulia QV in for it which is a great car but badly built, can't put it's power down in the wet and is not a coupe. Alfa dealer network is hopeless. Think of a fully loaded RS 5 Coupe as a better built, more reliable and easy to own Aston DB 9 and it makes sense.

How does this compare to the RS5 sportback? Which I prefer by the way because it's a four door.

I test drove this RS5 and was close to buying it but decided to wait and bought the RS3 Limousine in Nardo Grey instead. The difference in quality in all aspects is night and day and I’m so happy I waited (impatiently) for it to arrive from the factory. Now, 16,000km in and running Stage 2 - it’s everything and more I could have ever hoped for! Practical, fun, strong, fully loaded, LOUD, and a real head-turner 😎 Still going to put it out there and suggest that Audi remains the superior of the 2 brands. That said, I’m excited to drive the new M8 Competition soon!

Your videos are really good.

I own one and have for 2 years. For a start it feels far more special than the M4, which let’s be honest we’re heavily discounted at every opportunity. If you live with one as a daily, it is superb. Many journalists found that, drive it for few days, you do not bond with it, longer term, it is a great package. Fitting Michelin PS4S helps out the steering feel. 19inch wheels look lost under those arches..Also when is the last time a manufacturer actually dropped the weight on their newer cars? Great for Audi dropping the weight, while RS6/7 just gets fatter! I think it looks superb and they go very well.. plus still a rare sight on the roads, as they stopped making them for nearly 1 year, during WLTP..

Completely agree with you given I own the previous version of the RS5....Massively missed opportunity....

Great review, remind me of early Top Gears

Great color 🌲

Who piston your hand on the channel video mate?

I’ve never got the A5 shape, I’ve always thought they look very heavy and bloated. The 4 series is a big old beast but manages to look loads sleeker. Audi in screwing customers on options shocker....£20k of options is nuts.

Great-looking car brought down by its driving dynamics.

Piles of lard, piles of whoosh and a "weel" were (wolfs) you don't feel the push. Ideal heavy snow sedan though with the quats.

I remember first hearing the goddamn price of a well spec one can exceed £90000 , and i was thinking Audi have lost it. But that is the general consensus between some of the more premium brands costing exuberant amounts. This is yet still knowing that some of the lesser brand like Kia and Hyundai really making a good go at things and in many respects they are doing better. Its madder still when you think that for the price of modern RS or AMG or M cars the cars that are being missed out on. For example you may well find a very well sorted Aston Martin DBS with a manual box or a Lancia Fulvia 1.6 HF or a delta integrale or Lotus Carlton and with some you will still have change left for a packet of crisps. Its not to say they are not well engineered but many simply wont bring enjoyment that others would and will depreciate like hell. They are not created with the enthusiast in mind but more for how much clout it will get in social media. One of my biggest gripes is with hot hatches, some now are charging £40k or £50K for what, the A45 chassis can barely handle the horsepower and some tuner are making them go ridiculous power and those who can afford it can barely drive. Sorry rant over

I would love any of the RSs. Great power, beautiful interiors, decent build quality and most important of all AWD. They are surely the ultimate practical hyper saloon/estate/hatch for UK roads. While a BMW M car might be more 'fun', with our weather (rain on far too many days) the Audi RS would still be making very rapid progress while the BMW would be spinning off the road (backwards into the nearest tree haha!) That's why I have enormous respect for GTRs, RSs, Evos, WRXs etc. As a family man id much prefer the safety and all weather usability of AWD.

I feel RS products have been a tad exposed recently. They always used to be marginally faster than their merc and bmw rivals due to their early adoption of 4wd. Now bmw and merc have started using 4wd they are thrashing them in drag races and everyone knows they handle better. Plus you can switch to 2 wheel drive in the bmw and merc. Dearly dear Audi...

Too expensive!! Great honest review 👍

It was a heavy 4-wheel drive sled. It's a simple as that. The interior was nice though.

Love that colour!

You said that RS5 is weighing about 1,8 ton. I had a late W126 series MB S-klasse, that weight about 2 ton. After that, every generation car have been 100 kg lighter, no weighing over 2 ton. Strange. De new BMW Alpina D3S is also over 2 ton.

Maybe instead of keeping it in comfort you should use the ‘individual’ mode and keep the suspension in auto. On the money regards sound though. Hence why mine has a Milltek non res on it which sounds amazing. Previous was an M3 Competition and the handling on that was amazing. The RS is closer than I thought and for all year round driving and build quality and tech the F80 is way behind in every way. And get rid of those Hankook tyres and gets some PS4S’ on!

Here in north america audi is consider too be THE sporty car brand which i always found overated since like you say has a bad steering not a great balance and not a great suspension but everybody is telling me im wrong because there fast. So i move on in my miata ;)

Glorious looking car, but think a Rs4 or 6 avant would be a better car all round.

Having owned a 2018 TT-RS I like the idea of the current RS products better than I like their execution. Audi needs to add some feel and feedback to these cars because currently they are far too numb for true enthusiasts.

Wonderful color on this model. I miss good color selection in cars.

I’ve always liked the rs5 especially as it’s a 2 door. But I’d still have a m4 though instead as I just prefer BMW’s.

I'll first say that I do love a bunch of Audi models. That out of the way, I want to say that Audi has muddied the waters between their S and RS models over the years. Now though, with the European S models being hybrid diesels (🤔), I think we'll see some better RS models in the future...at least I hope we do.

hahah, I'm going to whack it into Dynamic - Cue instant Nodding Dog Impression!!

i drove the cabriolet as a rental. And found superb.

Gearbox is a ZF8. The ZF8 is used in many many cars. It works well in BMW M5 so why not in RS4/5. What have Audi done?

That looks Earls Colne, Essex (my stomping ground. 😁)

Intro music... JAMES!

Get with the times. The old engine is not good for everyday use. You can't get decent torque at low rpm and the car turns into a gas hog if you're always running at high rpm. Not that anyone would care about gas prices with a car in this price range but you should at least try to be environmentally sensitive. Understeer is also less of a presence in the B9 and you're also much less likely to get into mishap with this car than a M4/C63s when you push it to the limit. It's also comfortable enough to be a daily driver (unlike a M3/4) and still let you have fun out of the city on the weekends

Love the new intro !

The perfect car for people with money who think they like cars but they don’t.

Tbh it sounds like you're almost better off getting an S5 and saving the cash, or an M4 for a real driver's car.

Look amazing these do, but not the same as the old V8 Audi's

Love the RS4 and they *only* 40k 2nd hand

Some nice roads

If we are talking modern cars, I prefer the Mercs. Audi's just lack that little bit of magic, and BMW are getting closer to feeling like that every single year (by copying Audi). If you actually want excitement now, you are much better off with a crazy AMG Merc, than either of the other two.

I’ve owned a Sonoma Green RS5 for the past 2 years, great all rounder. People go nuts for the colour everywhere I go! I can easily fit adults in the back seats on the rare occasions I need to. I agree not the most engaging steering but such a beautiful car inside and out. The interior has the perfect blend of modern screens with physical buttons for the climate control which isn’t the case in the newer Audi’s (too many touch screens). I have a mk8 Fiesta ST as my daily driver so I find I get all the driver engagement and steering feel I need from my daily driver and then the contrast of the RS5 weekend car as a straight line power crazed beast is a nice mix. I feel they compliment each other well :-)

Since the uks opening opening up again can you please ditch the ads again !

I'm not overly keen! I like the 2006 AUDI RS4 ... beautiful...!!!

I’m so confused, Why are manufacturers building cars that will not sell? 80k 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂 It’s a 40k - 50k car 🤪 Good luck Audi I actually buy new cars! More than £450 pcm leaves me cold, I want out of my cars after 3 years maximum! If it doesn’t cover itself after 3 years of PCP payments I’m not sure a car should even be sold

Great colour

Great car, but not up to par against M3/4 and c63. Worse still the lower S5 is a better buy... that said this is an awesome pickup on the 2nd hand market 👍🏽

Something for city boys to put their special number plate on. Fast Audis used to be special, now they're chavy. When I was a kid, in the 80s, Audis used to make me think "this is what you'd get if Germany tried to make a Saab". Then platform sharing became more than it should be, and the plot got lost, meaning now they're just different Volkswagens with a higher price. In some ways, i suppose, mirroring the way Saab got pushed with GM/Vauxhall parts, and the resultant opinions of "it's just a Vauxhall" and "they're expensive VWs".

All they had to do was put a 4.0TT in the engine bay... Seems like that should've been completely obvious despite the weight penalty, or they should've made it at least 500hp to compete with the C63. Complete disappointment.

Sounds like you were describing yourself when you talked about previous generation RS5

Tbh if you want a sportscar, don't get a modern car, no communication or excitement, the only modern cars that have this is like the gt500 mustang, me cs or r35, still then older cars are more nimble, chuckable, communicative and envolving, but thats just my 2 cents

Possibly the best looking Audi besides the new r8.

The problem with the RS models is that although put out some high horsepower numbers, they've lost their edginess. They are far too luxury oriented , softer and heavier than their ///M car and AMG counterparts. The S models should be what the RS models currently are and the RS models should be a more limited hardcore range. They are making RS models of almost every car in their lineup! At least when BMW releases an M car, people comment on how harsh the cars are and the competition models ever more so, let alone uber rare models like the M3 GTS and M4 GTS! That's how a performance oriented variant should feel! Audi has lost its way with the RS models! The B7 RS4 was the last true RS model in my books!

Hmmm, just drove an M2 Comp and was rather disappointed ☹️

I really like RS5, i think sedan 5d could work a bit better plus compering it to M cars is a bit too much for it. But Amg

Why is it that journos amd youtubers get so hung up on the price including options of the example theyve been loaned. Its a press car, it needs to be loaded so the various options can be tested or if someone wants to try certain options they wont have an issue finding an example to be tried. What they arent is indicative of prices paid by buyers, so just ignore it

Lovely car. M4 has no chance on British backroads for 80% of the year though. That 150 kg difference is the cost of a proper 4wd system 🤔 they would really have to bend over backwards to make a 4wd car as light as a rwd car, which would bump the price up even more

Repair costs on Audi are well above BMW. See video from Car Wizard.

£80k odd seems to much to me...

For the love of God, please change your intro music and make the intro less cheesy. You're better than that

Undecided...

At least it doesn't have the stoopid kidneys of the newer M4 (and, I drive BMW for 13 years now)

Maybe S4,S5 are actually better cars overall.?

still prefer my base ish manual b9 a5

for a good fun sports car, i'd go for S2000 instead

Like 3 years is that long ago.

The reason I wouldn't buy an Audi is the boy racer customer base they seem to have accrued in recent years, I can't imagine join that group

These fake buttons... In a RS4... Classic VAG

Love the review, but the new theme song is trash, mate

Ahh, the 'I have no idea about cars but want something on finance that makes it look like I like cars and drive something fast and sporty' kinda car.

Not new. No sir, never new. Maybe in about 10yrs when depreciation hits lovely sub 20k levels

👍